DOJ Seeks to Keep Names of Two Epstein Associates Confidential

The Justice Department under President Trump has requested a federal judge to keep confidential the names of two individuals who received significant payments from the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in 2018. Epstein wired $100,000 to one associate and $250,000 to another shortly after the Miami Herald published investigative reports criticizing his 2008 plea deal in Florida. These payments, which became public after Epstein’s 2019 indictment and arrest in New York, are believed by prosecutors to be attempts to influence potential co-conspirators or witnesses. The two individuals were reportedly protected under Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement and are named as potential co-conspirators in court documents; one is identified as an employee involved in facilitating Epstein’s trafficking of minors. NBC News had sought to unseal their identities, but the DOJ cited privacy concerns and the conclusion that no further charges would be filed against third parties. The judge has given NBC News time to respond to the DOJ’s request to keep the names sealed, with a final decision pending.